Monday, May 17, 2010

Week 1 City Building & Geometric Art/Sculpture June 7-11Students will learn about: architecture, civil engineering, and fractal geometry. They will study the physics behind structures as they construct bridges and design and build their own unique city structure. Meanwhile, they will learn about geometry, specifically polygons (especially trigons), polyhedra, graph theory (Lusona drawings), and fractal geometry and learn who fractal geometry plays a large part in African architecture.

Week 2 Rocket Science June 14 - 18Students will contruct straw rockets, air pressure rockets, water bottle rockets, CO2 rockets, and Estes rockets this week. They will conduct experiments to see how varying fin shapes/sizes, pressure, and angles affect the flight of their rockets. Additionally, they will participate in the popular "Egg Drop," and older kids will build and launch hot air balloons. All kids will learn some level of geometry &/or trigonometry (depending upon level of ability) and their applications to rockets. Students will enjoy our guest, retired NASA rocket scientist , Dr. Layfield with COSROCS, who will help them launch their Estes Rockets.

Week 3 Examining Earth (Old & New) June 21-25Students will explore geology and archaeology as they examine the most unique celestial body in our universe, our miraculous Earth. They will learn about rocks, volcanoes, stalactites, stalagmites, fossils, and geysers. They will also learn about the special history of math and astronomy of the Mayan culture by examining their astronomical tables, calendars, base 20 number etc.

Week 4 Robotics June 28 – July 2Students will enjoy building and programming with robotics this week with the Rocky Mountain BEST group. They will also learn about electronics/electricity, basics about computer programming, base number system – particularly base 2, and combinatorics (permutations and combinations).

Week 5 Eye C U! July 5 – 9Biology is the focus of this week! Students will study the human anatomy with models, cell extraction & observation, dissection, and dissection, and 3-D modeling of human anatomy. They will also learn much about insects, animal wildlife, and plants. They will see how mathematics, particularly the Golden Rectangle and fractal geometry can be seen in nature.

Week 6 Sky Watch July 12 – 17This week focuses on astronomy and meteorology. They will model tornadoes with the tornado chamber, explore lightning and static electricity with the VanDerGraaf generator. They will enjoy participating in missions with the Challenger Center and traveling to see meteorologist and space meteorologists in action. They will also study the electromagnetic spectrum and how it relates to astronomy.

Week 7 Flight/Aviation July 19-23The Science Man (Dr. Baynes, aviator & former science educator for NASA) returns to Denver for his Science Spectacular and RISE presentations and helps students learn about the principles of flight. Students will perform many hands-on activities including helping the Science Man create explosions galore as the he helps students understand physics and chemistry as it relate to aviation.

Week 8 Energy July 26-30During this week, students will learn much about energy (renewable and non-renewable) and the electromagnetic spectrum. They will perform light labs, sound labs and many other activities as they explore renewable energy sources such as solar energy

TBDweeks - Computer programming using Matlab software at UCD for 2 days a week whole summer?

Sunday, May 9, 2010

During the summer of 2010, three major math and science camp providers - Colorado Association of Black Professional Engineers (CABPES), Math π-0-neers, and Shades of Blue- are joining forces to create the largest and most intense 8-week STEM camp for the Denver Metro Area. Afterwards, before school starts, they will host a math boot camp to better prepare Denver Metro Students for the upcoming school year. The 8-week camp will be held during the weeks of June 7 - July 31, 2010, each week will focus on a different theme.

During the course of the 8 week camp, students will explore: robotics, physics, engineering, aviation, cryptography, geometry, trigonometry, meteorology, chemistry, biology, etc. Additionally, they will attend various field trips to places such as the Challenger Center of Colorado Springs (where they participate in space mission simulations), Air Force Academy, Wings over the Rockies, University of Colorado (where they will visit/use engineering/science labs), United Airlines Training Center(where they will use flight simulators), and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). They will also have special presentations/activities from Dr. Baynes - Science Man - from Interactive Science Programs who will put on a week-long "Science Spectacular" show, from Dr. Layfield, retired NASA rocket scientist and founder of Colorado Springs Rocket Society (COSROCS), who will help students build and launch Estes rockets, and more including probably an astronaut. The majority of the field trips (Challenger, Air Force Academy, Wings over the Rockies) and special presentations (Science Man, COSROCS, astronaut) will occur during the weeks of June 14-19, July 12 - 17, and July 19-24.

During the Math Boot camp, students will be given a pretest and then provided with the work corresponding to their weaknesses. They will work with educators, engineers, and scientists who will tutor them and help them develop the mathematical skills needed for the fall.

Hey Kids!You can: create 3-D geometric art, create and crack secret codes, bend light, createdifferent colored flames, make a two-foot tornado, see a mini lightning bolt, create abridge out of spaghetti that can hold a sack of flour, make a large dome out ofgumdrops, race solar cars, save an egg in the “Egg Drop,” and more!